Grid Effect

Interesting Survivor finale. No fireworks, no drama, just a lot of contrition and adult behavior. Not really what your average Reality TV fan tunes in for, but it was compelling none the less. After a long, long season recap and credits we are taken to the finale…

It kicks off with Adam sitting by himself under the tent, isolated from Aitu, probably of his own volition. I can’t imagine having the numbers permits banishment rights in Survivor (Though judging by the previews for next season, this doesn’t seem far off). Our lone Raro member compares it to being back on exile island.

Sundra talks about how they have to think individually now, Becky reiterates the same thing but specifies needing to get Ozzy off the ticket. From a strategic perspective, she should be more concerned about Yul, because she can’t play the “outwit” card to a jury as long as Yul is still in the mix. Ozzy voice overs that he realizes he is perceived as a threat, and there is a definite target on his back so winning immunity is all the more pivotal. After all of this scheming, the four Aitu alliance prays, or something. I am not sure what else too call it when four people bow heads, express gratitude and hold hands.

We go immediately to the first Immunity Challenge. And judging by the structure of the obstacle course alone, Ozzy is obviously going too win it. The challenge takes place on a ropes course and entails collect several bags full of puzzle pieces then assembling said puzzle. According to Probst its the most diificult puzzle in the history of the series. He very well may be telling the truth, but it’s kind of hard discerning a puzzles degree of difficulty while watching it on television. I’ll just take his word for it.

During the challenge, Ozzy falls back a considerable margin, while Adam and Yul jump out ahead. Ozzy returns his first bag shortly after Yul returns his second. However, after retrieving that first one, Ozzy zips through the rest of the obstacle course and is working on his puzzle long before anyone else. Normally it would be obvious he is going to win, but with the promise of the “hardest puzzle ever in Survivor, one would figure that with Yul and Becky being lawyers, they would have the edge in analytical ability, and assuming they didn’t fall behind too far on the obstacle course, they could make up ample time on the puzzle.

From my perspective though, the puzzle seemed maybe a tad more complex than average, and not so much more that it warranted mentioning. But again, I don’t think we can really ascertain watching it on television, either way, Ozzy wins. Soundly. And he is guaranteed a spot in the final four.

When they return too camp, Adam knows he is on the chopping block, and realizing any direct attempt to break up the Aitu alliance will prove futile, he simply tries to get Ozzy and Sundra to vote for Yul with him, the flush out the Hidden Immunity Idol, Yul and Becky will both vote for Adam so he will still go home. He has conceded defeat at this point and just trying to leave a lasting mark on the game.
In all honesty, Sundra and especially Ozzy would be somewhat dense not to go for this. It would put everyone on an even field of play going into the final four and make Yul more vulnerable than he has been since the game commenced.

But nothing of the sort happens, even after Probst commits a solid amount of questioning about the HII at Tribal Council. Sundra looks conflicted during all the Probst (verbal) probing, Ozzy looks indifferent. Before being voted out, Adam really takes to airing his grievances with the Aitu alliance. In short, he says they are all boring (Relevance?), Yul is the leader and he implies that Sundra and Becky are useless. Which, that might be harsh and exaggerated, but within the context of the game he does have a point, and it does need to be addressed at some point. Adam is eventually voted out, and the most captivating aspect of this Tribal council is Nate, for some reason he is hobbling around on a crutch.

In his parting words, Adam is actually very contrite and wishes them all good luck.

Back at camp they celebrate, Yul is glad the winner is going to be a minority and calls it a “great morality tale”, because people from different backgrounds varying backgrounds and experiences and use those differences for their benefit. Ozzy pontificates about the experience and how he is going to miss it.

All I am going to say about the neverending “Rites of Passage” portion of this episode is that I wish it never happened.

At the final Immunity Challenge, the four contestants are asked to stand on a small steel perch sitting in the water. Every fifteen minutes they remove a section of it, by they remove the final piece, the remaining platform it is half the size of your average postcard.

Becky is the first too fall. She doe so immediately after removing the third piece at 45 minutes. At which point Ozzy is wobbling, Sundra is stong, Yul is in a squatting position, which seems peculiar because it places more strain on the legs. After the last piece is removed Ozzy comes damn close to falling off and recovers. He makes a joke about his genitals itching from standing in the sun for so long, Sundra almost loses her composure from laughter, Ozzy apologizes, Yul tries too stand up from his uncomfortable squatting position and falls off when he does.

Down to the final two, and Ozzy has had to rebalance himself at least five times by now, Sundra, who has seemed unphased short of the Ozzy-genitals remark, falls after a shade over 2 1/2 hours. Ozzy wins immunity. Its quite remarkable based on the selective editing because the manner in which he was periodically struggling throughout the duration of the challenge, would have led an objective observer to assume he would have been the underdog. But Ozzy is exemplorary at all this random shit, this guy can run, climb, swim, shimmy, balance and puzzle solve probably better than any Survivor I have seen.

Back at camp, Ozzy (not too mention everyone else) is surprised at Sundra’s performance. Ozzy and Yul deliberate about the pending Tribal Council. They both agree neither Sundra nor Becky are more deserving than the other. They decide too each vote for one of them and let it be settled over a tiebreaker.
Yul then goes over too Becky and says he will slip her the idol, putting himself at risk but he is willing to take it. And I am speechless right now. Why not just let it go to a tie? I mean, I know his relationship with Becky is more platonically intimate, but does he hate Sundra? She did, afterall, outperform Becky at the last IC. More so than I can ever remember Becky outperforming Sundra. I love Ozzy’s indifference during all of this. His demeanor couldn’t be anymore casual.

At TC, Jeff brings up the idea of slipping Becky the idol. Even though she could never have the gumption to actually divert from the initial plan without consulting Ozzy, Sundra is clearly mulling over the concept and I am sure it crossed her mind to vote for Yul based on all of his suggestions about loyalty and whatnot. Ends up they all stuck to the original plan, Yul didn’t give the idol to Becky, making this season all the more enjoyable.

The tiebreaker is once again a fire-building challenge. And, its not pretty. If either of these women had a chance in a jury vote against Ozzy and Yul, that chance was diffused with this pitiful display. Not that fire-building is the be all, end all of determining who is the most deserving of the money. In fact, I am usually in the camp that if people are doing the upkeep around camp without requesting your help, then you shouldn’t be penalized for it. But at least a general understanding to get a fire started in a timely fashion seems like a bare minimum. The jury is literally falling asleep during all of this.
After a solid hour, Probst throws the two girls some matches, effectively removing the minimalist aspect of this show that it provides itself on. At the very least the two are capable of laughing at their own ineptitude. Even still, Sundra runs out of matches and is forced to watch Becky attempt to get her fire started, only hoping she runs out of matches as well. No such luck. After an hour and a half Becky has a full blaze going and Sundra is sent packing.

In her parting words, Sundra is surprised with and proud of herself. With a good natured chuckle she adds, “One of you is going to win a million and you are taking me out to dinner”. That’s grace, baby.

The three celebrate with coconuts. Ozzy spouts a little in Spanish. Becky is proud of herself for not taking the easy way out with accepting the idol, and it is commendable. It is rare we see integrity from reality show contestants. When island women (or women in island garb, I couldn’t tell) arrive bearing gifts, Becky is nowhere to be found. Ozzy explains how this is a metaphor for the game and illustrates why him and Yul will receive all the votes from the jury. He is right about receiving all the votes, but it is hardly a metaphor for anything. Yul believes a new friend (Becky) is more important than the million dollars, which is easy for a lot easier for a guy with a Yale law degree to say. As opposed to someone whose title on the show is “waiter” and has apparently appeared on the Playboy Channel, in which case a million dollars is much more of a necessity.

In opening statements at the jury hearing, Yul says he has done more than anyone else too influence the game, and admits he had lied and deceived too some extent, but was loyal to the people he set out to be loyal to.

Becky says she had to play her social game. Everyone seems to be nodding their heads in disapproval.

Ozzy plays the underdog card, pointing out that ever since merging from four too two teams, he has been on the outside looking in. He points out he embraced the game in every way possible, with his “soul” even.

Nate is first to ask questions: calls Yul the “big gangsta boss”, and calls Ozzy the warrior. Ozzy says he was the Yul of his original tribe, and he played the surfer dude angle so people would underestimate him, so there was a strategic element to his game. Nate asks Becky why she deserves the money, she says it was her and Yul making decisions bilaterally, as opposed to the common misconception that Yul was making them unilaterally. When asked if that answer suffices, Nate says that he is indeed not satisfied, which precipitates Becky selling out Yul about him offering her the Immunity Idol offer going to the final four. And she is right for the most part, but Yul positioned himself to be the ring-leader, and she, due to happenstance was his best friend on the island, but in an attempt to seem honorable she acts in a wholly dishonorable manner.

Jenny just asks Yul what she thinks is the most crucial aspect of the game. He says its more social than physical or challenge oriented. He essentially says the proof is in the pudding, if the physical aspect took precedent then the final three would look much different.

Parvati asks Becky about turning the idol down, Becky says she wanted to earn her spot.

Rebecca asks Yul and Ozzy to share something with the jury that they don’t already know. Yul says he decided to appear on the series due to a shortage and misrepresentation of minorities in the media are represented in the media. Ozzy steals Yul’s answer about wanting too alter stereotypes, he kind of rambles incoherently for awhile. He should have just been earnest and said “passion for the outdoors and the chance for a million dollars”. That would have sounded better than the nonsense he opted for.

Adam steps up and says they have been boring at TC, and he wants them too disparage each other. Ozzy says Yul didn’t work much around camp and Becky resorted to simply riding coattails.

Candice says its cool they lasted the mutiny and congratulates them. She also points out that Yul is awfully vague when asked a direct question, so she also corners Yul into answering a yes or no, anything further will cost him Candice’s potential vote. She asks if he has been working the jury over intentionally, and even if he hasn’t it will come off as a facade. So he hesitates a minute and sheepishly says, “yes”. When Jeff and Candice start talking again, he responds on impulse. Candice, relishing in her momentary power position, says he “broke the rules” and will have to think about her vote.

Brad congratulates them, says his relationship with Ozzy doesn’t extend passed a fifteen second conversation, so he asks what has been the most challenging experience in his life. Ozzy states the relationship with his father who has been something of an absentee and that Ozzy has always had to make the effort to contact him instead of the other way around. He loses his composure and begins too well up. He says he loves his family (who reside in Mexico) but having the knowledge that “the person who created” him doesn’t want anything to do with him. It may have tipped the jury.

Sundra wants too know what they “discovered about themselves” from the Survivor experience. Ozzy says love and learning too cherish and appreciate every moment. Becky says she has learned too loosen up, because her life has always been time regimented. Yul says he came in with a lot of self-doubt and fear and has learned to overcome it.

Johnathan also congratulates them. Since Yul is highly educated and incredibly slick, Johnathan asks him to explain to his constituents all of his half-truths. Yul says he would never deceive any non-expecting people (a la people outside of Survivor) and admits he has the ability to manipulate people, and takes ownership of utilizing the ability.

Johnathan directs his next question to Ozzy, says he has an enviable ability to win challenges, but also calls him arrogant and entitled at times, and he doesn’t want to reward someone like that, so Johnathan wants too know how giving him a million dollars would make him and everyone around him better. He says he would go back to school and try to change the world for the better Textbook. Johnathan snubs Becky and she looks disappointed. Poor girl, she didn’t do anything wrong but she didn’t do anything exceptional. Its a bad season to be that person.

They vote, John votes for Yul because he outplayed the other two, Parvati votes for Ozzy because he is the ultimate competitor and says he “brought fire to the game”. Thats all we see, so I am assuming no one voted for Becky.

They take it to Cali. Probst walks in and they do the camera transformation from the island to the city. There is some guy banging drums. Jeff pontificates a little then reads the votes:
Yul-1
Ozzy-1
Yul-2
Yul-3
Ozzy-2
Ozzy-3
Ozzy-4
Yul-4
They are tied at 4-4, Jeff says they both dominated in their own way like few ever have. I actually have no clue who it will be, though I am hoping for Becky because I want too see how the tiebreaker situation is resolved…..

Yul gets the vote and the win, Concluding a classic Survivor season. Though I always root for the guy with less dough in this situation. More on the reunion a little later.